The COMPANY
by CraftyPolarbear1987
Summary: Being unemployed was considered a crime punishable by law and Celtus Cold Blood was guilty of it. Because of that he has to work for the government's department till he gets a decent one himself. Not only does the idea of working for the Government sucks, what more it would be if you'd end up in the department called the COMPANY.
1. The Unpleasant Morning

As soon as the sun had risen up from the Far East, the young Cold Blood had also risen as well. Mop of pitch black hair fell down on his face as he stretched up his arms a bit releasing a deep yawn. He wasn't really a morning person, but that never hindered him to wake up in such an ungodly hour.

He slowly shuffled his feet across the cold wooden floorboard of his room to the bathroom as soon as he got up of his bed. Faint light slowly crept in through the curtains of his window making stop and look at it for a moment.

 _I think I should get thicker curtain by now._ He thought as it seems like his curtains had grown thinner due to the fact that sunlight was able to penetrate through it and he was never pleased by it.

Mentally noting it down he proceeded to the bathroom.

He gazed at his pathetic looking visage at the mirror. Dark circles were formed around his eyes and seemingly near to the shade of his dark hair which he brushed aside. His skin grew pale and he slightly look sickly, but contrary to that, he was actually healthy.

"You, young man…" he said pointing at his reflection as though it was a different individual. A thing he usually does every morning like a ritual. "Should get a job or else—!"

Raising a finger, he then bit his own tongue as a sudden wave of realization hit him. It was actually too late for him to say that to himself as his 120 days was over.

He released a deep sigh as he buried his face on his hands in embarrassment. It was really a mystery to why he can't get any stable job for himself in the big city. It wasn't like he had bad record or was a poor performing student during his student years. It just so happen that employers refuses to accept him for some reasons.

He wanted go back home to his family in the small town, but he can't and he shouldn't. He know his parents wanted more for him and he knows too well that he won't find that great glory they want him to achieve in the small town. They wanted him to achieve the things they weren't able to when they were his age because of the lack of opportunity back in their town, that's why they tried their best to make sure that he wouldn't end up walking the same road they did. But unfortunately, the other road seemingly looked darker that the path they took.

Unlike in the small towns, cities had passed out a new law that states that anyone who was on the age gap liable for labor work who are unemployed shall report to the Department of Management and Control of the Government and they shall mandatorily work in any of th department of the Government till they get a decent job for themselves.

This law takes effect if that individual has been unemployed for 120 days and he had just passed that requirement yesterday. Now he had to submit himself to the Government for the 'punishment', as he would call it.

Yes, the law was useful in lowering down the unemployment rate of the state, but in some sense it was cruel.

The Government wouldn't allow you to choose the department you would work on. They would choose for you. They base it on your background of education and such. But what if that person doesn't like that department? Especially right now that a rumor was spreading around town about the worst department one would wish not to end up to.

He wasn't quite sure of the details but he does know that the said department was named 'COMPANY' for the reason he can't quite remember. And according to the rumors he heard, he wouldn't have a second thought of refusing a job there.

But it wasn't like he would have a say about it.

Standing outside the building of the Department of Management he can't help but to swallow a lump in his throat. This was it. The day he would get assigned off to a department of the government.

 _Hopefully not the COMPANY though,_ he thought fumbling on his blue necktie.

Entering the foreign building, he can't help but to avert his gaze from left to right. HE was too astonished with the sight of what's inside the building to actually pay attention to what he should do. Or better yet, he was distracting himself due to the nervousness pitting up in his stomach.

"Mr. Blood isn't it?" the woman in the reception area asked raising a brow at him.

"It's Cold Blood," he corrected with slight annoyance. "And yes, that was supposed to be me I presume."

"Please proceed to the interview room."

Being handed with his I.D he was ushered by a guard to the interview room. As expected, there were also other people in that place as of the moment and all wore unamused looks on their faces.

 _I wish the best for them and myself,_ he thought.

The interview room was rather too small for his liking, but it wasn't his to complain about. A small light bulb hung pitifully above him and was doing a terrible job of keeping the room lit.

"I swear that if that light bulb is a person I would have fired it a long time ago." he mumbled under his breath when the officer in charge of the interview came in.

He didn't made any notable reaction as the officer sat down and looked at him straight in the eye. He wasn't really the type of person who shows off notable reactions to people around him.

The officer cleared his throat glancing down to the papers he had with him then said. "So, your name is Mr. Celtus Blood right?"

"Yes," he replied though annoyed as it seems like everyone likes to cuts off his last name to only Blood when for the fact it's Cold Blood. He needs to get used to this terrible attitude of other people towards his name because for sure it won't just stop here. However, he can't ignore the fact that his name sounds pathetic when it's incomplete.

"I see, you have no job experience yet according to your records."

"If low paying jobs that I didn't end up working on for a week doesn't count as work, then yes."

"Very strange really, considering the fact that you are part of the special cases of people who were able to awaken their natures within. And I'm surprised, it even four natures you have, unlike the norm of only one or two."

"Everyone says that, but none gave me a decent job afterwards." he bitterly confessed recalling all the interviews he had underwent but still ended up unemployed.

"Such a waste of a good asset." the officer clicked his tongue. "Anyhow, that's all for now. I shall send this to the higher ups for you to be sorted to your department Mr. Blood. Thank you for your cooperation, you may now leave."

 _At last, it was over,_ he though wiping the cold sweat on the nape of his neck. Surely that interview was pissing him off his ass, but he has to bear with it. What he was sure of was that it seemingly felt too short for an interview making him winder why it was so.

Well it wasn't like he wished it to be a bit longer. Hell he was even glad enough that he could jump happily about it not being long and boring as he never had enough patience for it.

As he was about to walk out of the building, he overheard a conversation that went like this:

"Hey, have you heard about what happened in the COMPANY?"

"Yeah. I heard that some of their men were sent to the hospital for severe injuries."

"Whoa! That's way over the top!"

"What does that department do anyway?"

"Who knows? All I know is that going their mean instant death you know."

"Definitely."

This made Cold Blood fear for his life.

 _I do hope I won't end up in COMPANY._


	2. Meanwhile, on the other side

The streets had already fallen silent as the night crept in. The area was secluded from the noise of the civilization as it was located miles away from the center of the city. The old dusty road lead down to the lone building that stood there. It was a department building under the government.

It was late in evening when the certain pink haired man was able to get back to the department building. A little grin was pained across his face as he held on his injured arm. Blood were flowing down on his forearm and the bandage he tied on it was already drenched with the crimson red liquid. Bruises decorated his pale flesh with small cuts to match with it. He zipped up his coat to conceal all of it and let the sleeves fall down to cover his arms. However, blood stains were on it making hope that no one would actually notice it.

"Guys I'm back!" Marluxia exclaimed dragging his beaten up body to the living room. However, much to his surprise, no one were there.

 _I think they are sleeping already._ He thought finding the place unusually quiet.

He wanted to head back up to his room but his body was too heavy for him to carry making him decide to rest on the couch for a minute just till he regains a little strength to push on. Sadly all he was able to muster was to fall down in front of the couch resting his head on it.

"I see, you're back." Squall said as he approached the pink head who sat on the floor resting his head on the couch. "You look beat. Are you alright?"

 _Of course. I should have expected Squall._ He thought. Squall Leonhart was the one assigned to monitor the attendance of the people under that department to check if anyone would be missing or in possible danger.

"What do you think?" Marluxia grumbled not even bothering to gaze up to the person who spoke. His neck felt a bit sore.

"Don't push yourself to hard." Squall sat on the couch just beside Marluxia's head. "You're doing double work at the same time ever since Zexion got sick."

Marluxia didn't made any reaction nor response to his statement. This made him slightly think that the pink head must have fallen asleep on him due to stress so he had decided to check on it.

"I'm just fine." Marluxia protested swatting Squall's hand that ruffled through his pink hair. "And don't touch my hair. I am trying my best to keep it looking that well."

"Shut up…Is that blood on your sleeves?"

"What?"

Squall grabbed Marluxia's arm and pulled it up revealing the bandage he wrapped on it. He stared at it wide eyed as he then said.

"You're injured."

"Yeah, and so." Marluxia pulled his arm away and let his sleeves fall down to conceal it. "It's just a scratch. It's not near my guts so I won't be dead yet."

"Marluxia, a wound may get infected leading to much worse cases." Squall scolded. "Now hand it over and let me cure you. How did you get it anyway?"

"I'm fine. I'd just fix it later." Marluxia hissed. "And how I got it doesn't matter to you. It's not like you could make a difference out it anyway."

Squall frowned at the stubbornness being shown by the pink haired man. He never liked it and never would he tolerate it.

"Come on Marluxia, just spit it out and hand that arm here. Don't make me force you to do It." he said in a slightly threatening manner.

Marluxia could just chuckle at the mannerism of the brunette. If it works on the other members of the department, threats doesn't work on him. However, he was too tired to argue nor to even protest anymore since he was trying to gather strength to get up on his feet.

"Here. Look at it as long as you want." He lets his arm fall down the laps of the brunette wincing a bit at the sudden sharp pain emitted from it. "But try to do something funny about it and you would never see the living daylight."

Squall just hummed a response as he focused his gaze on what he was doing.

He pulled the sleeves yet again and held it up till the pink head's shoulder to make sure it won't fall back. The bandage was drenched over and it seems like the wound was sill bleeding judging by its state.

"Relax. I won't hurt you." Squall said feeling how tensed Marluxia was as he undid the bandage. "And you haven't told me how you got this one."

"Do you really have to know?"

"What if I tell that I do?"

Marluxia released a deep sigh as Squall pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. It was that white handkerchief of his that has his name embroidered at one corner.

"I got it while I'm doing Zexion's work. It wasn't my field of expertise so I ended up getting the consequence." Marluxia bit tongue in pain as Squall wiped of the blood with the cloth slightly touching his injuries.

"No wonder." Squall commented as the wounds were deep cuts that would take a long time to heal. It even leave a scar even. "Stay here while I get the aid kit."

"Fine." Marluxia replied as he watched the brunette walked off to fetch the said item.

Gazing down at his wound, he can't help but to ponder on how he had failed to avoid getting damaged. Or better yet, how does Zexion gets back with not even a single scratch on him every time he goes there? Surely that little kid would at least have troubles coming along his way here and there, including the fact that head had fallen sick lately, but seriously. How does he do it?

"Hey, are you alright?" Squall snapped him out of his thought as he placed the kit on the couch from where he once sat. "You seem off. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular. My arm stings badly. That's all I could say."

Squall nodded his head as he then proceeded with fixing him up. "By the way, have you heard that we are going to get new members by the end of the week?"

Marluxia could just chuckle at this. "Seriously, I bet that it would only be one person or if lucky, two."

"Well, at least that is better off than none right?" Squall said looking at it at a positive perspective, not a usual thing the certain brunette does in a regular basis. "And besides, the government sorts out the people that are to be placed in here. That's why only a few get to be part of our department."

"So are you saying that it's an honor to be here?"

"Somewhat yes, but mostly no."

Marluxia chuckled again. "I bet what they are thinking is, it's definitely a no."

"Don't worry. All of us had been through that stage."


End file.
